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Episode 938: Emails, Mejia, and Math
Date August 10, 2016 Summary Ben and Sam banter about the longest-lasting plays in baseball, then answer listener emails about the Braves with a man advantage, Francisco Mejia’s hitting streak, dealing with Fenway Park poles, new unwritten rules, and more. Topics * Playing with 10 fielders * Obscured view seats * Hit streak popularity * Reliever strikeout rates and hidden strikeout numbers * Unwritten rules of managerial challenges * Episode 937 follow-up: Derek Jeter & Alex Rodriguez Intro Neil Young, "Ten Men Workin'" Outro Earth Girls, "Say Goodnight" Banter * Sam is trying to find the longest play in baseball and asks listeners to email in with potential plays. The current longest one he has video of was 25 seconds. * Sam said he was inspired by a realization that, relative to other sports, plays in baseball are much shorter. Email Questions * Steven: "Let's say that we can rewind this season to opening day where despite each team's 0-0 record most of the projections had the Braves struggling this season which they certainly have. Now let's say we implemented a rule where only the Atlanta Braves could field 10 players in the formation of their choosing. This extra defender would hit in the pitcher's spot for all of his at-bats. To be clear the Braves have the same 25-man roster. How different do you think the NL East standings would look?" * Paul: "My son and I go to Fenway Park a lot and usually our seats are behind a pole. Each of us has a preferred seat based on which player we miss watching the least. If you had to choose, which player would you choose not to see?" * Nick: "If an average caliber baseball player such as Jordy Mercer went on a tear and had a hit streak of 55 games and was ready to tie or overtake Joe DiMaggio's streak, would MLB tell umpires to make bad calls and ensure the streak remains? Basically, would MLB tarnish his streak so that an average player doesn't hold the record?" * Tom: "Are there any unwritten rules regarding manager's challenges? For example if you're up eight in the 9th inning is it unsporting to challenge a play at first?" * David: "If you could remove Derek Jeter from the record, how would that effect A-Rod's perception right now?" Play Index * Sam uses the Play Index to find out the most strikeouts by a pitcher over a 9 inning stretch (since 1950). * Until 1999 the record for strikeouts in a nine inning stretch was 21, achieved by seven players (five starters). * Edwin Diaz struck out 24 players during nine consecutive innings. * Reliever strikeout rates, relative to starter strikeout rates, have begun to drop for the first time in many years. Notes * In Episode 1100 Ben, Sam, and Jeff would discuss a play that took 2 minutes and 32 seconds. * Sam estimates that with five infielders BABIP would be .150. He and Ben use a variety of stats to estimate that the Braves would have 15-20 more wins this season than they currently do. * Francisco Mejia currently has a 48 game hitting streak across multiple levels of the minor leagues. Links * Effectively Wild Episode 938: Emails, Mejia, and Math * Let's Always Know The Longest Baseball Play by Sam Miller. Many of the embedded videos no longer work. Here are alternates. ** 3-6-2 triple play: 21.04 seconds ** Ruben Rivera confused on the basepaths: 19.33 seconds. ** Josh Harrison rundown: 18.29 seconds. ** Three errors on one play: 23.59 seconds. ** Rangers hit into triple play: 25.60 seconds. * Meet the Guy Who Struck Out 25 in Nine Innings, Sort Of by Sam Miller Category:Episodes Category:Email Episodes